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Lemieux Denies Rumor Of "Rift" With Crosby

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins issued a response Wednesday on social media to the rumor of a rift between team owner Mario Lemieux and team captain Sidney Crosby.

The reports began surfacing after it was reported by a former Penguins player.

According to former NHL player Matthew Barnaby, a rift has developed between Lemieux and Crosby.

Barnaby made his comments on Sirius XM Radio with no specific reasons other than it could be coaching related or personnel related.

All he said was there was "a big falling out."

He went on to say, he doesn't know if it will result in a future trade of Crosby, but he wouldn't rule it out.

Lemieux, uncharacteristically, quickly responded to and completely denied the report.

The response came on the team's Twitter account, saying, "Mario Lemieux on rumored 'rift' with Sidney Crosby: "It's absolutely not true. It's silly."

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